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Deadly Good

June 2012

Griffin Technology has managed to reimagine its hands-free AirStrap case with Doctors in mind. The fully sanitizable AirStrap Med iPad case was specifically designed with the help of physicians and nurses to serve the specialized needs of the healthcare environment.

This lightweight case has a built-in hand strap or shoulder strap which includes a screen shield that closes securely around the tablet — effectively sealing it off from unwanted moisture and fluids. There's even a molded-in clip around the back for storing a stylus onboard and the hand strap performs brilliantly even when wearing latex or nitrile gloves.

A 2012 study by Manhattan Research confirmed that iPad is the dominant tablet platform among US physicians — with 62% claiming to use one for professional purposes. Half of those doctors who own a tablet indicated they've used their device at the point-of-care, according to the study which included 3,015 practicing physicians in more than 25 specialties.

“Physicians are evolving in ways we expected – only faster,” said Monique Levy, vice president of research at Manhattan Research. “The skyrocketing adoption rates of tablets alone, especially iPads, means healthcare stakeholders should revisit many of their assumptions about reaching and engaging with this audience.”

The AirStrap Med which sells for $89.99 — works with both iPad 2 and the latest retina display iPad. Unfortunately original iPad users are out of luck. Which makes this functional doctor's little helper the perfect excuse for upgrading from that older iPad.

In what quickly turned into a classic Hollywood bidding war — CBS has emerged as the winner holding rights to air the "Draw Something" gameshow pilot based on Zynga's wildly popular iPhone game acquired from OMGPOP back in March.

While there is no on-air commitment for "Draw" as yet — insiders anticipate the project will be fast-tracked into production sometime after the fall lineup now that CBS successfully snatched away the project from multiple networks. Ryan Seacrest, Michael Davies and RSP CEO Adam Sher have been named as executive producers on the show for Sony Pictures Television.

The unscripted television pilot will pit multiple celebrities and users against each other to earn money in front of a studio audience, according to a Variety exclusive. Viewers will be encouraged to play along at home via their mobile phones and tablets for a chance to win prizes and compete with the celebs.

If CBS can actually pull off that very social aspect of the game by including viewers at home, Zynga just might see a hefty return for their $210 million acquisition of OMGPOP's mobile juggernaut. According to Variety, no specifics are available on how at-home interaction will be executed, but imagining a hit television gameshow show based on "Draw Something" is not much of a stretch.

Zynga's move into TV-ville follows the company's announcement in February of a global partnership with Hasbro — a plan aimed at transforming online legacy franchises like "Farmville" into family board games and other merchandise.

Although a host for the gameshow pilot remains unnamed — Ryan Seacrest is not expected to take an on-air role in "Draw."

The newest rPet collection of iPhone 4S cases from Case-Mate are "Designed to Make a Difference" by using 100% recycled materials — creating ultra-lightweight, eco-friendly iPhone protection designed to re-purpose landfill waste in a single bound.

The mission here is one water bottle gets transformed into one new iPhone case. While the concept behind this evironmentally conscious rPet series is very appealing, the $30 price tag is not.

Buying a translucent hard case that easily shows scratches with wear should be priced around $15 to $18 in order to encourage purchasing a pair of colorful covers to better our environment.

With many plastic Case-Mate "Barely There" cases already priced at $30 — this one would be better served by selling "two recycled cases for the price of one" — making it an extremely budget-friendly temptation for the happy tree hugger in all of us.

Tom Harman and Tash Wong have imagined a simple way to haul in boat loads of disposable cash by transforming your favorite Instagram photos into digitally-printed stone beverage coasters.

The idea of cutting the corners on Instagram images could actually catch on among brooklyn-based hipsters in search of functional iPhone art while trolling around Williamsburg.

Tom and Tash affectionately call their designer sandstone drink caddies "Coastermatic" and sell them for $25 which gets you a set of 4. They even have a slick hipster video designed to instantly suck the cash right out of your digital wallet.

That's what you get for being a part of the Instagram revolution. I just wish I had this idea first.

New Zealand artist James Reid has created a clever series of Star Trek Pop Art prints he calls Polygon Heroes. Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Scotty are all present and accounted for. The set makes great iPhone art in either a skin or hard case.

Reid, who works under TheBlackeningCo moniker — has also produced an impressive ensemble of polygon "Avengers" as part of his collection with Captain America being one of the more notable stand outs. Expect to beam up $15 for an iPhone skin, $35 for a hard case and $20 for an 8x10 print.

Apple is planning to add gay and lesbian couples to its array of emoticons (emoji) with the launch of the new iOS6 mobile operating system. Those wildly popular emoticons that are often used for texting and emails by kids and geeks alike are evolving with some politically correct pictograms.

Same sex dudes and chicks holding hands with no facial expression will join the gang of other more expressive relationship emojis in iOS6. It's quite possible we'll be seeing a same sex family in future iOS launches.

Since utilizing emoji in my own texts as a guilty pleasure I indulge myself in daily, I've included a few emoticons below that Apple missed as part of iOS6. The emo emoji kid, hipster and "doh! guy" icons are essential, but more importantly Apple should have added an ample variety of ninjas into the mix. The Pacman Ninja and Mutant Ninja Turtles emoticons are must-haves in my book.

If you want to add emoji to your texts on iPhone or iPad using iOS5 — simply bring up your “Settings> General> Keyboard” and then click International Keyboards. Add a new keyboard and select Emoji. Now when you type on your keyboard press the "globe button" near the shift key and you’ll see a selection of emoticons to choose from.